Observation of the point at which proteins associated with Parkinson’s disease become toxic to brain cells could help identify how and why people develop the disease, and aid in the search for potential treatments.

Cambridge scientists are part of a resolution revolution. Building powerful instruments that shatter the physical limits of optical microscopy, they are beginning to watch molecular processes as they happen, and in three dimensions.

From visualising microscopic cells to massive galaxies, imaging is a core tool for many disciplines, and it’s also the basis of a surge in recent technical developments – some of which are being pioneered in Cambridge. Today, we begin a month-long focus on research that is exploring far beyond what the eye can see, introduced here by Stella Panayotova, Stefanie Reichelt and Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb.

From the kaleidoscopic swirl of a neural network, to ribbons of crystals unfolding like sheets of wrapping paper, to the relief on the faces of villagers in Malawi after their local well was repaired, the breadth of engineering research at the University of Cambridge is reflected in the images produced by the winners of this year’s Department of Engineering photo competition.

A new study at the University of Cambridge has allowed researchers to peer into unexplored regions of the genome and understand for the first time the role played by more than 250 genes key to cell growth and development.

In this video we see a synthetic opal, which is made using polystyrene spheres surrounded by even tinier polystyrene spheres around 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Harry Beeson explains how it’s important to look at nanoscale structures like this to improve the efficiency of solar cells.

From rainbow coloured liquid-crystal molecules, to tunnels deep under the ground, this year’s entries from the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering photo competition help to bring engineering brightly and vividly to life.